Finding The Texas Wolf

“No need,” a cool, feminine voice said from the doorway. “I’ll take you home.”

The redhead. Maddie Kinslow.

“Perfect,” the doctor said, smiling. “Take him straight home, make sure and fill these prescriptions, and force him to get plenty of rest.”

“I sure will.” Now she sounded positively cheerful. He turned to stare at her, wondering how she’d known to come back here looking for him.

“I’ll send a nurse to wheel you out to the car,” the doc continued. “Hospital regulations,” he added when Jake began to protest.

Jack nodded. He waited until the doctor had left the room before confronting Maddie. “Are you stalking me?”

“No.” She frowned, looking both hurt and angry. “I will say I was concerned, especially when you took off like you were afraid to go into the ER. Why was that? I wondered. Do you have a warrant out for your arrest?”

“No. And no. As you can see, I haven’t been arrested. Where do you come up with this stuff?”

“I’m a PI,” she retorted. “It’s part of my line of work.”

“A private investigator?” At first surprised, the more he considered, the better he felt. Ms. Maddie Kinslow might not realize it, but she’d just given him an idea.

She started to respond, and then closed her mouth. Lips a tight line, she looked away. Whatever she wasn’t telling him, she clearly had no intention of saying anything else about her work. Which was okay with him. She’d said enough.

Luckily for her, a cheerful nurse arrived with a wheelchair. She ordered Maddie to get her car and pull up right outside the entrance. Once Maddie had left to do that, the nurse wheeled him out front to wait for her.

When Maddie had parked, the nurse helped Jack out of the wheelchair and into the passenger side. He was able to buckle the seat belt, wincing.

“Are you all good?” she asked, her candid gaze searching his face.

“Yep. Better than good,” he replied. “I’m actually really glad to learn you’re a private investigator. As it turns out, I want to hire you.”

Judging by her sudden intake in breath, he’d shocked her. “Um, my agency is specialized. We wouldn’t be a good fit.”

“Yes, we would,” he insisted. “Plus, you’re the only PI I know. I’ll pay whatever your going rate is. And I promise, you’ll find my job to be a simple one, easily completed.”

She shifted into Drive and pulled away from the hospital.

“Well?” he pressed once she’d exited the parking lot. “What do you say?”

“I’m thinking. Give me a minute.”

He gave her more than a minute. She followed his directions, pulling in to the driveway of his small home on San Jacinto. Once she’d put the car in Park, she turned in her seat to face him.

“What’s the job?” she asked, her expression professional. “I really can’t commit my resources until I know what is involved.”

And here came the part she wouldn’t like. He told her anyway. “I want to hire you to find out what’s behind that door on the dead-end alleyway. The one where you found me all beat-up.”

Chapter 2

Inside Broken Chains, Carmen Vargas sat back in her chair, took a sip of her drink and surveyed the smoky room. As always, every table had been taken, and those without a seat stood shoulder to shoulder. Carmen had arrived early and claimed her usual prime spot near the back, close enough to have a view of the dance floor, but not so close that the loudness of the band would make any attempt at conversation impossible.

Her friends Maddie Kinslow and Shayla Dover-Cantrell usually met her here, but Shayla had recently gotten married and was just getting back from her honeymoon. The three of them had formed a supernatural private investigative agency and had recently successfully closed their first case. Carmen imagined Maddie had already gotten busy hustling for a second. Still, she was very late. Not like her. Carmen figured she’d give her a little bit longer before calling her friend’s cell phone.

“Have you got a minute?” The low growl of a masculine voice to her left had her betting he’d be a Shape-shifter. With a lazy movement, she swiveled her head to look. Damn. She, who never was shocked, sucked in her breath. Talk about hot. This guy had to be new. His aura revealed she was correct. Shape-shifter. And a damn good-looking specimen, too.

Exactly her type, if she’d had one. Tall, close-cropped dark hair, bright blue eyes, broad shoulders, narrow waist and muscular arms. He looked like a cop, or some other straight-laced profession. She’d learned from experience that those kinds of men were almost always the most fun in bed.

She let herself experience a delighted shiver before responding.

“Of course,” she purred, indicating the chair next to her. “Have a seat.”

He pulled out a chair and sat down, his bold stare frank and assessing. Confidence. She liked that in a man.

This evening had just gotten a thousand times more interesting. After so many centuries on the planet, Carmen rarely felt an overwhelming attraction like this.

“I work for the government,” he said. No surprise there. “And I’ve been talking to the Pack Protectors. They let me know about your Shadow Agency, operating right here in Galveston.”

A job. He wanted to discuss a job with her. Years of practice enabled her to hide her disappointment. She simply eyed him calmly while waiting for him to elaborate.

Instead, he glanced around. “Is there somewhere quieter we can talk? This is classified, so not information I’m comfortable shouting.”

She took a moment to consider, enjoying the way his gaze traveled over her. “Maybe later,” she finally said. “I’m waiting for a friend and I don’t want to lose our seat.”

His gaze narrowed and his mouth tightened. “This is a matter of national security.”

Though intrigued, she pretended not to hear him at first. Only when he leaned close, his mouth against her ear, and repeated himself, did she nod. “Perhaps you should make an appointment with our office. I’m certain you don’t want to discuss such a weighty matter in a bar.”

Instead of putting him in his place as she expected, a flash of annoyance sparked in his eyes. “This is urgent. I don’t have time to make an appointment. If you don’t want the job, just say so. I’m sure I can find someone else.”

Rueful, she conceded. “Wait. I’m interested. If you could just give me a few minutes until my friend arrives, I’ll find a quieter place where the two of us can talk.”

“Five minutes,” he said. “No longer.”

Clearly, he was the kind of man used to giving orders. She found this incredibly arousing. Most men were too intimidated by her frank and blatant sensuality. They tended to fall all over themselves trying to please her.

“Five minutes,” she agreed, smiling. Maddie had a tendency to run late, but never extremely so.

The allotted time passed. Still no Maddie. Handsome Guy eyed her and she knew he meant to leave.

“Come on,” she said, getting to her feet. “They have private rooms in the back. Let me see if I can secure one and we’ll go there and talk.”

He followed as she strolled to the bar. One glance over her shoulder showed no less than six people had rushed the table the instant she’d left. They’d have to duke it out among themselves over who ended up with it. Or share.

As luck would have it, she was able to rent a small room for half an hour. She sent Maddie a quick text to let her know where to go once she arrived, and then led the way through the double doors to the private part of the bar. She’d heard stories about some of the goings-on in these private rooms.

Stopping at room number 7, she used her key to unlock the door. “Here we are,” she said, entering. Handsome Secret Agent Man brushed past her and began looking around. As in, seriously searching for something. Fascinated, she watched, realizing he must be checking the room for recording devices.

When he finally finished, he turned to face her. “I’ll need your cell phone,” he said, holding out his hand.

“Thanks, but no thanks,” she replied. “I’m not handing that over to a total stranger, just because he’s cute.”

Her choice of adjectives made him blink, but that was his only reaction. Disappointed, she pulled out a chair and sat. “You were about to tell me why you needed to hire me?”

“Not until I know for certain that you’re not recording,” he countered, stoned-faced. “At least put your phone on the table.”

“Are you serious?” she asked, even though she knew he was. With a sigh, she retrieved her phone from the depths of her Prada bag and placed it on the table.

“May I?” he asked, as he reached for it.

“You can look at it,” she replied. “But I want it back on the table once you’re done.” Though she had no idea what she’d do if he decided to drop it into his pocket. By virtue of being a Vampire, she had the elements of superspeed and strength on her side, but he was some kind of Shape-shifter, which made him a much more even match than, say, a human would have been.

Finally, he finished checking out her phone and placed it back on the table.

“My name is Rick Fallin,” he said. “I’m a member of a covert intelligence agency within the FBI. Our country is being threatened by terrorists and we need the help of someone with your credentials.”

“My credentials?”

“Yes. You are one of the top biowarfare scientists.”

She nodded. “True. But you could have approached me at the lab. Why here? Why ask for help from The Shadow Agency?”

“Because we need you for one other reason. You’re a Vampire. And as such, you’d be immune to a deadly, human-created virus.”

“You’re a Shape-shifter,” she shot back. “And if you’re full-blooded, you’re also immune.”

“We’re not sure about that,” he replied. “Let me explain. This is a completely new virus. We’re not completely sure of the effects it will have on the paranormal population.”

“Now I’m really intrigued,” she drawled. “I can’t wait to get a look at this thing.”

* * *

Though several of his colleagues had warned him that he’d take an immediate dislike to the Vampire woman, Rick Fallin discovered they were all wrong. Instead of the usual revulsion his kind normally felt around those of her ilk, he got a jolt of attraction every time he looked at Carmen Vargas instead. Which he struggled mightily to do as seldom as possible, aware he needed to focus on the job and only the job. This was far too important to mess up.

“A terrorist group has developed a new disease,” he said, once he had her full attention. “Not a known group, either. They call themselves Sons of Darkness. This one appears to be newly formed. We’re not even sure what kind of ideology they possess.”

“Sons of Darkness,” she mused, a flash of interest in her eyes. “Sounds like possible Satanists. Do you have proof of this disease?”

“Yes. I don’t know if you heard about that junior senator who died so mysteriously a couple days ago?”

“I rarely watch the news anymore.” She gave a delicate shrug. “Unless it pertains to my work or my friends, I’m content to keep my world knowledge as compact as possible.”

Made sense. While he had no idea of her actual age, he’d always heard Vampires lived centuries. He imagined anyone would get a bit jaded after watching so many humans come and go.

“Let me fill you in then. Samuel Jansson was infected with this virus. We’re not sure how or when, but most likely it was in a bar on the hill where he frequently stopped for a drink after work. He died a horrible death at home in his bed less than twelve hours later.”

She whistled. “That’s a fast-acting virus. But how do you know that’s what killed him?”

“The terrorist group contacted us shortly before his body was discovered. But even then, we had the same doubts. We rushed an autopsy.”

“And?”

“What killed him was a virus never before seen. We have no antidote.”

Another flash of interest lit up her face. “What do they want in exchange? I’m assuming it must be something big, right?”

“Oh, it is. It is.” He’d been instructed not to tell her if at all possible, to gain her assistance without doing so. Once he’d completed a full read-through of her dossier, he’d wondered what his boss had been thinking. A rational, intelligent, professional scientist like Carmen Vargas would want to know everything. If they needed the best, they’d have to give her 100 percent of the info.

“They want our country to go to war,” he said slowly. “Unless we obliterate the entire country of West Latvia, they’ll unleash this virus on our general population. It spreads through the air and kills fast.”

“West Latvia?” She frowned. “Why?”

“They trade heavily with Russia. Whoever these terrorists are, they want something Russia gets instead. They haven’t specified what exactly. We have people working on finding that out.”

“You say this senator was found dead?” she asked. “What about the people who found his body? Have they been placed in isolation to avoid contamination?”

“Yes. The terrorists claim it’s only active while the body is alive. We’ve got people working around the clock to verify this.”

She nodded. “As you know, I’m a damn good scientist. I assume you want me to join one of your research teams?”

“Possibly. Though that’s not the entire reason we need your Shadow Agency—and you. Many on my task force are full-blooded Shifters, too. As you know, only a silver bullet or fire can kill us. Normally.”

Tucking away one wayward blond strand of hair behind her ear, she eyed him. “You aren’t sure if this virus might be another thing that can take your kind out, are you?”

“Exactly.”

“Since I’m already dead...” Her slow smile made his heart skip a beat.

To cover his unwanted reaction, he looked down, pretending to be lost in thought.

“Hey, it’s okay.” When she reached out and covered his hands with hers, he felt a jolt straight in his groin. His inner wolf, startled awake, sat up and took notice.

“I enjoy being useful,” she continued. “What I need to do is get you a full printout of our rates. We charge by the hour, plus expenses. There’s a flat fee—a retainer—that’s payable up front and is nonrefundable.”

Slowly he slid his hand out from under hers. “None of that matters. You’re dealing with a well-funded covert government operation. If you agree to assist us, we can pay you this.” Though doing so felt a bit melodramatic, he opened his briefcase to get a better look at the neat stacks of bills inside. “Twenty-five thousand dollars cash, up front. Another twenty-five once the mission is successfully completed.”

If he expected her to gape, he was doomed to disappointment. She looked coolly from the money to him. “This is most unusual,” she said. “I’ll have to consult with my partners.”

But he refused to accept this. “I happen to know your private investigative business is a start-up. You’ve only had one case, I believe. Cash flow has to be important. You can’t afford to turn this down.”

Stone-faced, she stared at him.

“And this is important,” he continued. “It’s not just a case. It’s your chance to make a difference.”

Watching her, he swore he saw that same flicker of interest in her eyes.

“Fine,” she finally said. “I’m in. Representing The Shadow Agency.” Her chin came up and she held his gaze. “But not just because of the money. I’ve always wanted to make a difference.”

Admiration warred with attraction. He nodded, closing the one briefcase before pulling a manila folder from the other. “We’ve taken the liberty of having a contract drawn up in advance. I’ll need your signature in three places.”

Though she accepted the pen he offered her, instead of immediately signing on the dotted line, she began to read through the contract. “No,” she said abruptly. “This part here is unacceptable.” She stabbed her long, bloodred fingernails at the page. “I refuse to keep my partners in the dark about this job. We’re in this together. Otherwise, you’re not hiring The Shadow Agency. You’re just hiring me.”

Somehow, he sensed this minor issue would be the one thing that could make her walk away. As far as he knew, they didn’t have a backup. “I agree,” he conceded. “Strike through that part and initial it. I’ll do the same.”

Once she’d done as he’d suggested, she finished her read-through and then signed. Handing him back the papers, she held out one elegant, pale hand.

“I should have told you,” Rick said, after neatly filing the contract in his briefcase. Then and only then did he slide the briefcase full of cash across the table toward her. “You and I will be partners for this case.”

She stared. “I work better alone. Plus, I already have two partners.”

“Not on this case, you don’t. You might want to put that somewhere safe,” he added, gesturing at the briefcase. “Once you’ve done that, you’ll need to let your partners know that you have to disappear for a while.”

“Disappear?” She didn’t really protest. “They’ll be used to it. It’s kind of what we Vamps do.”

He laughed, the full, rich sound filling the room.

“I just need to let Maddie know,” she managed to say, sticking to the topic at hand. “She’s the one I was supposed to meet here tonight. She’s probably out there right now, anxious about where I am even though I texted her.”

“Let’s go find her, then. After that, you’re coming with me.”

“Okay. Enjoying this, are you?” she drawled. “You might be pretty, but this is serious business. I don’t need a distraction, and believe me, I could see you becoming a big one.”

To her annoyance, rather than fluster him, her remark made him laugh. “Nice try, Vargas. But it’ll take more than that to make me go away. I’m going to be stuck to your side like glue, so get used to it.”

“Fine, whatever.” She gave in sullenly. “I was thinking I’d start in the lab first. I’m assuming you plan to provide me with tissue samples so I can begin to analyze the thing.”

“That won’t be necessary,” he said. “We’ve already got teams of the best scientists working on that.”

He’d managed to surprise her, and not in a good way. “I am one of the top biological specialists.”

One corner of his mouth quirked up. “True, but there are others. We’ve got them in the lab working feverishly for answers.”

He could see she didn’t like that. “Then why do you need me? Honestly, if you want to develop an antidote, I’m of the best use to you in the lab.”

“We need your help to neutralize the terror group. Time is of the essence. While the president has been fully briefed and continues to be, he’s not sold on the idea of declaring war on West Latvia.”

She nodded, watching him closely. “Have they given you a time frame?”

“Yes. Seven days. If war is not declared and troops deployed, they plan to infect Houston. If they release this virus into the general population, we’ll lose a couple million people in one day. No, Carmen Vargas. We need you in the field. You and I are going to try to infiltrate the terrorists. Our job is to unmask them and take them down from the inside.”

She nodded. “This job is sounding more interesting by the minute. How do you propose to do that?”

When he grinned, the flash of his white teeth made her fangs ache. “I have my ways. We’ve got people who’ve been working undercover. You and I are going to pose as people interested in joining the terrorist cell.”

“I thought you didn’t know who they were affiliated with.”

“We don’t. Not yet. They may be part of a larger group, or might have splintered off from one.”

“With a name like Sons of Darkness, I wouldn’t be surprised to find out it’s a bunch of teenaged kids,” she said. “Except for the virus.”

“Except for the virus,” he repeated. “I think we can pretty much rule out teens. Even if one of them turned out to be some sort of genius, I’d think they’d want cash rather than war declared on some small European nation sandwiched between Estonia and Lithuania.”

“West Latvia,” she mused. “I believe some of my ancestors came from that area, but I’ve never been there.”

Though he nodded, his mind was elsewhere. When he looked up to find her watching him, he grimaced. “Sorry. I’ve been going over the plans. Are you ready to get started?”

She nodded. The rush of anticipation that filled her was unlike anything she’d experienced in centuries. “I am. Tell me what you want me to do.” She frowned. “But first I need to check on my friend.”

If he hadn’t known better, Rick would have thought Carmen was stalling. He stayed with her, right on her heels, as she proceeded to search the bar for her missing friend. They made two complete sweeps of the crowded place, upstairs and down, before she finally admitted defeat.

“This is so not like her,” she said as they walked out the door. “She’s really reliable. Always where she says she’s going to be. I hope she’s all right.”

“Try calling her,” he suggested.

“I have. Several times. Calls are going straight to voice mail. I left her a message—well, two now.”

“That’s worrisome.”

“Maybe.” She lifted one shoulder in an elegant shrug. “And maybe not. Maddie’s always forgetting to charge her phone. It’s entirely possible that it’s dead and she has no idea.”

He spoke without thinking. “She sounds like a scatterbrain.”

“She’s not.” Rushing to defend her friend, Carmen sounded fierce. “We all have our own little character flaws. It’s not such a big deal.”

“Maybe not,” he agreed, glancing at her sideways. “What’s yours?”

His question appeared to puzzle her. “Mine?”

“Your little character flaw. I’ll tell you mine if you’ll tell me yours.” He couldn’t believe he was flirting with her, but then again, how could he not. They needed to get past this awkwardness with each other for the undercover roles they were going to play.

“I don’t have any flaws,” she snapped. A second later, she appeared to realize what she’d said. “I’m pretty damn near perfect,” she elaborated, laughing. “As I’m sure you are, too.”

As he gazed down into her smiling face, something shifted inside him. Damned if she wasn’t alluring. He hadn’t expected this sudden craving to hit him so strongly.

Outside in the alley, he led the way across the street to where he’d parked. “Do we need to move your car somewhere?”

This made her chuckle again. “No. I walked here.”

Her statement almost gave him pause, considering that some of the neighborhoods nearby could be dangerous late at night. But then he remembered she was a Vampire. Anyone messing with her would get the shock of their life.

She settled into the passenger seat of his black Tahoe, even using the seat belt. He couldn’t help but notice how her every movement contained a sensual sort of grace. “What now?” she asked. “Where do we go from here and what’s the plan?”

Now was as good a time as any to tell her. At least they weren’t inside the crowded bar. “We’re posing as a married couple,” he said, starting the engine at the same time.

“Married?” One elegantly arched brow rose. “That’s the one thing I have absolutely no experience with. I’m not sure I can be convincing.”

He glanced at her and grinned. “Just follow my lead, darlin’. That’s all you have to do.”

From the momentary look of confusion on her face, he guessed she wasn’t sure how to react to the endearment. He hadn’t called anyone darlin’ in years, not since his fiancée had died. But since he and Carmen were going to pretend to be spouses, he figured using it would be particularly apropos.

“Sounds good, sugar plum,” she drawled, dead-faced.

He laughed—he couldn’t help it. It had been a long time since he’d been around a woman who could make him laugh. Pity she was a Vampire. But then again, he wasn’t looking for a mate. “I think we’ll work fine together,” he finally said.

When he glanced at her again, her beautiful face wore a ghost of a smile.

“Here’s how we’re playing this,” he said, all serious again. “Word has gone out in a certain group of people that the Sons of Darkness are looking to hire someone with a biology background. They’re willing to pay big bucks. You happen to perfectly fit the bill.”